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SIS201 Final Study Questions
For each essay, make an original argument of your own. Refer to material from class lectures, books,
and documents.
1) There are different schools of thought about two aspects
of the Cold War: 1) whether it was predominantly a struggle about ideology or
security, and 2) whether it was inevitable or could have been avoided. First, what was the Cold War? Second, where do you stand on both of these
debates, and why? Third, what
implications does your answer have for the future of US relations with states
such as China,
as they seek to avoid future hot and cold wars?
2) For a long time, the world beyond the US
and Europe (the “west”) was excluded from the benefits
and burdens of being part of the international system. Explain how and why the role of the “third
world” (aka the developing world or global south) in the international system
changed from the 19th century to the Interwar Period, to the Cold
War, and after. In what ways did it gain
or lose from its involvement in that system?
Does it make sense anymore to talk about that part of the world as a
single entity? Why or why not?
3) Compare and contrast Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Delano Roosevelt,
and George W. Bush’s approaches to constructing world order. What were their underlying assumptions, views
on US power and
security, beliefs about institutions, and methods of persuading others? Whose was the most and least successful? Why?
4) At certain moments in the past, such as in the aftermath
of major wars, world leaders have met to shape international orders to prevent
the political and economic problems of previous eras from reoccurring. Let us consider 2008 one of those
moments. Take on the role of an advisor
to the next US
president, and write a memo outlining proposals for an international conference
to design or alter institutions to secure peace and prosperity for the next
generation.
5) One of the themes of the 20th century is the
law of unintended consequences. Give
several examples of cases in which the consequences of US
foreign policy turned out to be detrimental to its intended beneficiaries. Analyze the reasons why the policy was
adopted and explain why it had unintended effects. What lessons can world leaders draw on from
these cases to deal with problems facing the world today, such as international
terrorism, the war in Iraq, relations
between the US
and rising powers, global warming, and competition for scarce resources?
6) Different thinkers have disagreed about the forces that
drive history. They give different
causal weight to ideas, power, economic change, and leadership. Which of these do you think has had the most
impact in driving history? Choose three
events in the twentieth century and show how one of those forces shaped the
course of history.
7) How have the norm of sovereignty and the inviolability of
international borders held up over time?
In what ways have they been undermined or called into question in the
past century? How have non-state actors
and the emergence of identities presenting an alternative to states influenced
the functioning of the international system?
8) Two major intellectual paradigms for understanding the
world after the end of the Cold War were Fukuyama’s “End
of History” and Huntington’s “Clash
of Civilizations.” What did they
argue? Looking with hindsight at the
world since the Cold War ended, which paradigm do you think was better at
explaining reality? What did they get right
and wrong? In your opinion is either (or
both) useful for explaining the world today?
Why or why not? | 
